The New York Post ran a story today on coworking spaces around New York, where independent workers share office space and a sense of community. Coworking Brooklyn, 3rd Ward, and Jelly (which I blogged about here) are all mentioned. 3rd Ward, which I knew as a party space, is actually the most developed and impressive--they have 30,000 sq ft of workspace and artists' facilities like a metal shop, a wood shop, a photo studio, a dance space, a digital media lab and a gallery space. They even offer memberships that include access to discount health insurance plans for artists. Whataconcept! Speaking of artists, a Brooklyn assemblyman has proposed requiring New York City's exotic dancers to purchase a state permit. One sex work blogger argues this measure would put an unfair financial "punishment" on strippers, who are classified as independent contractors, work without benefits, and often must pay stage fees to the management of the clubs where they dance for tips. I certainly wouldn't be happy if I had to get a state permit for freelance writing work.